Differential screw-clamp



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

L. YAKEL. Differential Screw Clamp-s.

No. 229,069. Pa tented June 22,1880.

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N PETERS, PNUTG-LITHOCRAPHER, WASHI GTON. 0 (2V 2 Sheets-Sheefi 2.

(No Model.)

L. YAKEL. Differential Screw Clamps.

No. 229,069. Patented June 22,1880.

NJUERS, FNOTO-UTHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D.

UNITED STATES LEVI YAKEL, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA.

DIFFERENTIAL SCREW-CLAMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 229,069, dated June 22, 1880.

Application filed April 19, 1880.

T0 all-whom it may concern Be it known that I, LEVI YAKEL, of Allegheny, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Differential Screw- Olamps, or devices for drawing together and holding flat-boats, barges, rafts, &c.; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in devices for drawing together and securely holding two bodies, such as flat-boats, barges,

or rafts floating on the water, or to gradually draw together or push apart other heavy bodies; and it consists in the combination of right and left handed screws and a suitable mechanism for operating them to increase or decrease the distance between the two jaws or sides of the frame, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention. Fig. 2 is an end view. Fig. 3 is a detail view. Fig. 4 is a vertical section, and Fig. 5 is a detail view, showing the shape of the opening into which the operating-lever is placed.

A A represent two parallel jaws, which are provided with the teeth or projections a at their lower ends. Secured to each one of these jaws near their upper ends are two screws, which have their inner ends screwed into the two sockets B G, which sockets form stops between the two jaws for the purpose of limiting the distance that they shall be moved inward toward each other.

The screws attached to each jaw are of unequal diameter, and are made right and left handed, so that when the two sockets or barrels B O are revolved the jaws will be either drawn inward toward each other or forced apart.

Upon the upper barrel, B, is placed a collar, 2, to which the socket H for the operatinghandle I is secured. This collar has a flange, J, formed on its inner end, and upon the barrel or socket B is formed a corresponding flange, K, and in between these two flanges there is placed a coiled spring, L, which serves (N0 model.)

to force the sleeve constantly inward against the ratchet cl formed upon the inner side of the large operating gear-wheel D. This large gear-wheel D meshes with a smaller one, N, on the barrel or socket G, for the purpose of causing the barrel 0 to revolve at the same time and at twice the speed of the one B.

The ratchet d, as shown in Fig. 1, has the teeth set in both directions, so that the operating-lever can be made to catch in either set, according as the handle is turned partially around in its bearing, and thus made to turn the wheel D either to the right or to the left, as it may be desired to force the jaws outward or draw them inward.

The socket H has an opening, O,made down through it, of the shape shown in Fig. 5, so as to allow the lever I to be turned partially around; and in order to prevent the handle from being pulled out of the socket there is a slot, P, made through the socket on each side, and through which slots the pin R, which passes through the handle, projects. When this lever or handle is turned partially around in one direction its lower end or edge catches in one set of teeth, so as to move the wheel D in one direction as far as the lever can he moved around, and then by giving the ham die a slight twist, so as to bring this edge or corner out of the teeth, the handle can be moved forward a certain distance, and then, by being given a slight twist or turned by the hand, the edge can be made to catch in another tooth, so'as to give the wheel another turn. Secured to each side of this operatinglever, just above the socket H, is a slotted key, T, which has its lower end shaped so that when the lever has been turned so that this lower end or edge will catch in one set of teeth one of these keys can be dropped into the upper end of the socket alongside of the lever, and thus prevent the lever from becoming disengaged from the teeth in which it is caught. While the lever is thus locked by means of the key it cannot turn in any manner in the socket, and hencethe lever is locked in the teeth, and while thus locked the wheel D can be worked freely back and forth,as though the lever formed a part of the wheel itself.

- The two lower screws, X Y, have their ends madeto project through the jaws, and attached to these ends are the suitable clevises W, in which chains or cables are fastened to be used for drawing boats and other objects together. These protruding ends of the screws are protected by suitable guards U, which prevent the ends of the screws from being crushed or broken in a collision between ponderous moving bodies.

Each of the two larger screws which unite the jaws A and A together are made hollow, so that the corresponding smaller screws can screw into them, and thus allow the jaws to come much nearer together than they would if the ends of the screws simply met midway in the center of the barrels or sockets B G. The relative diameters of the cog-wheels D N are such as to cause two revolutions of the wheel N to be made during one of the larger one, D, and the threads 011 the two lower screws are half the width of the threads on the two upper screws, 41 'r. This relative proportion between the sizes of the threads and the wheels may, however, be varied at will, it being necessary that the two barrels or sockets should move at such speed as to direct the two jaws evenly together.

The object of my invention is to provide a reliable means of drawing together heavy and unwieldy bodies which are to be united one to the other by means of cables or chains. Where the bodies are separated they are to be connected to the elevises by means of simple ropes or chains, and then the jaws are to be drawn together by means of the operatinglever and the mechanism alreadydescribed. If it is desired to force the two objects apart when they are close together, the jaws are first moved inward until their lower ends can be inserted between the two objects, and then they are forced apart until the two objects are set in motion.

Having thus described myinven tion I claim- 1. In a device for drawing together or pushing apart heavy bodies, the wheel D, having cogs at its circumference and adouble ratchet upon one side, in combination with an operating-lever, I, which can be made to catch in either set of teeth, and thus move both of the sockets B O at the same time.

2. In a device for drawing together or pushing apart heavy bodies, the combination of the four screws attached to the inner sides of the two jaws A and A with the two sockets or barrels B O and an operating mechanism, substantially as described.

3. In a device for drawing together or pushing apart heavy bodies, the combination of the jaws A and A with the operating-screws X Y, having the clevises secured to their outer ends and protected by suitable guards, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of the ratchet d, sleeve E, having a socket formed upon its top, and operating-lever for catching in the ratchet, and a spring for forcing the lever inward against the ratchet, substantially as specified.

5. The combination, in a device for drawing together or pushing apart heavy bodies, of the socket H, provided with slots, lever 1, pin passing through both socket and lever, and keys for locking the lever in position, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 22d day of March, 1880.

LEVI YAKEL.

Witnesses:

T. F. LEHMANN, SAML. DIESCHER. 

